It’s going to be a few months before I have news to share with you about my first release. You’ll have a better idea what to expect from my books if I share some of my favorite books written by other authors while things are happening behind the scenes.
This may be my favorite book of all time, so it’s a very good recommendation to make first. It was also the first work by Angela Carter that I ever read, and it hooked me completely.
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter is a collection of short stories that twist fairy tales in intriguing ways. Her stories are gothic and sensual, evocative and provocative. She was a wonderful writer and her descriptions are hauntingly vivid. I read The Tiger’s Bride decades ago, and still shiver a little when I remember the first line: “My father lost me to the Beast at cards…” Ah. A dangerous hero. An illicit bargain. A heroine who isn’t daunted by peril – and a world that is both familiar and not.
This is a small book, but I always read the stories slowly, savoring every word.
If you’re reading historical fantasy, or magical realism, Angela Carter shouldn’t be missed. Her work has been powerfully influential.
The book was originally published in paperback in 1979 with the red and black drawing at left – that’s the edition I have – but Penguin released a new version in trade paperback in 1990 with the black-and-white cover on the right. (Okay, I have that one, too.) It’s not available in ebook. The AMZ and Indigo links are for the Penguin edition, while the ABE link is for that original paperback.
Lyssa Royce 